Comminute
by LittleKnux2008
Summary: Teyla and Ronon deal with the aftermath of [Michael] on their friendship.


**Author's Note: **The idea for this came to me after watching "Michael," and now that I actually have some time on my hands (school is out for the summer!) I had a chance to write it. I hope you enjoy!  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters, situation, etc.  
**Spoilers:**"Runner," "Michael"

- - -

Teyla sighed softly as she walked through the commissary, food tray in hand, her eyes scanning the crowd for the familiar hulk of her dining partner. It took a moment, but she eventually spotted his slouching back, dreadlocks dangerously close to his mashed potatoes. With a small, bemused smirk, she began walking to him.

It had been a while since she and Ronon had spoken. To be honest, she hadn't had a conversation with him since the Michael incident nearly a week ago. _'Coincidence,' _she told herself. Ronon had been upset over the experimentation, but surely he wasn't avoiding her.

Doubt nibbled at the edges of her mind, but she pushed it away. She and Ronon had more things in common with each other than anyone on this expedition. A simple thing like a disagreement of viewpoints couldn't ruin their friendship so easily. _'But it wasn't simple,' _a small voice in Teyla's mind insisted, but she squelched it. The emotional battle wounds of last week were far too recent for her to fathom one of her closest friends being frustrated with her actions.

"Ronon," she greeted him warmly with a small smile when she reached the table. Ronon looked up at her for a long moment.

"Teyla," his voice was as devoid of emotion as was the expression on his face.

"I am glad you're here. We haven't had a chance to speak since…" Teyla trailed off, wincing slightly at the detailed memory that immediately ignited in her mind, replaying every emotion, every word. It was at times like these that she wished her memory was not so sharp.

"Actually, I was just leaving," Ronon said abruptly, standing up. The chair moved backward with a loud scratch.

"Oh, well…" Teyla couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice. She looked down, and as she did, she saw that he still had large amounts of food left on his tray. Frowning, her eyes returned to him. "But you haven't even eaten anything yet," she said, a confused smile wavering on her face.

"Yeah, well…" Ronon muttered. His eyes met hers for a brief instant before he shouldered past her, heading out of the commissary. Teyla stood still for a long time, shell-shocked. She had seen hatred burning in his dark eyes beneath his impassive façade.

Teyla frowned, debating her course of action for only a brief second. She placed her tray on the table before turning sharply, following Ronon's path out of the commissary, hoping to catch up with him. She wasn't sure what she was going to say when she found him, but something obviously needed to be talked about.

"Ronon!" she called loudly as she entered the wide hallway, her eyes spotting him just yards away. He stopped in his tracks, slowly turning to face her, that emotionless mask in place once more as she walked up to him.

"Why are you avoiding me?" Teyla questioned abruptly, eyes wide and vulnerable as she waited for him to answer.

"Why do you think?" Ronon countered, annoyance heavy in his voice.

"If I knew I wouldn't be asking you," she answered, her voice dropping.

"Did you think I would forgive you so easily for what you did?"

Teyla narrowed her eyes at this question. "What I did?" she inquired. "I have done nothing to offend you." A tension-filled silence rose between them before the realization struck her. "Michael. This is about Michael," she said incredulously, and sighed in frustration. "What did I do, Ronon? I'm sorry that you didn't agree about the experiments, but – "

"You treated him like he was your friend," Ronon interrupted, his eyes boring into hers.

"Michael was…" she hesitated, "…my friend." She remembered the bond forming between them with a surge of regret, but pushed it away for the moment.

"Lieutenant Kenmore is a Wraith," he spat.

Teyla narrowed her eyes. "Michael and the Wraith were different people."

"They were one and the same. Just because Kenmore looked like a human never meant that he was one," Ronon hissed.

"The Iratus bug was the reason humans became Wraith. That retrovirus took the Wraith out of him. You may not believe it, but if you had opened up your eyes for just a moment – "

"You did enough opening for all of us. Opening of your eyes, of your mind," Ronon continued, stepping forward. Teyla looked away at his comment, shame radiating through her at the recollection of how easily Michael had used his telepathic abilities to manipulate her. "...your heart. Did you keep anything to yourself, Teyla? Or did you give it all away to him? To a _Wraith?_"

"Do not assume that I am some foolish child," Teyla's eyes snapped to his, ablaze with fury. "I gave Michael my compassion, my friendship, my trust, but I did not give him my secrets or my body, and you would do well to remember that."

"You passed the line a long time before that," he replied harshly.

"You're angry with me because I…what? Showed some compassion?" her eyes flashed with anger. Ronon opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off. "No; say nothing more. I had the misconception that I was speaking with a civilized man. Not some…_beast_." And with one last venomous look, Teyla spun on her heel and walked away, her chin held high.

Ronon never noticed the trembling of her body as she left.

- - -

This period of meditation had become an ingrained ritual in Teyla's daily routine; thirty long minutes of blissful silence, the tribulations of the day slowly easing their grip on her mind. There were few times when this practice failed to uplift her spirits, but this was one of them. She would just begin to clear her mind when the memory of their conversation would return forcefully, leaving her even more troubled than before.

Consequently, she was stuck here, lying on her back, staring at the ceiling, frustration running through her. Ronon hadn't had a right to say those things to her. She was angered at his words insulting Michael just as well as those that had insulted her. Michael was a human being, not a Wraith. It bothered her that Ronon could not accept that; but what troubled her even more was that this conflict between her and her teammate wouldn't leave her mind.

She was in this state of aggravation when the doors to her room slid open, revealing an uncomfortable looking Ronon standing there. Teyla immediately sat up and swung her feet over the side of the bed. She stood up slowly, her eyes locked on Ronon's as she did so.

"May I come in?" Ronon asked.

"No," Teyla answered, the steely anger still sharp in her eyes.

Ronon looked slightly taken aback at her answer. He gazed at the ground for a minute before speaking again. "I came here to talk to you about what happened today."

Teyla was not going to help make this conversation easier. She simply lifted an eyebrow, prompting him to continue.

"Look, I think I went a little too far with what I said."

"If this is your way of apologizing, you have much to learn." She said coldly.

"I never said I was here to apologize," Ronon countered bluntly. Silence reigned for a long moment before Teyla made her terse reply.

"Very well."

"I'm here because we have to work together; trust each other," Ronon explained. "Can we do that?"

"Yes," Teyla answered, after considering it. "But do _not _mistake comradeship for friendship," she warned him, and reached out, slapping the panel next to the doorway. The door slid shut between them.

With a cool grace that would impress the most cold-hearted of warriors, Teyla never allowed anyone to see the empty loneliness that plagued her in the days to follow, and with the aid of his reticence, no one knew that Ronon had just recently lost one of his greatest friends.

- - -


End file.
